Indoor Plant Watering System

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Indoor Plant Watering System

The biggest obstacle of having plants is remembering to water them. There are a lot of DIY articles out there on automated methods, see links on my public profile favorites to a few. It's possible to buy a products that deliver the full solution for $83,

http://www.amazon.com/Claber-8053-4-Programs-Autom...

Despite sales claims, the warranty and programmability seems limited, there likely will need to be a certain amount of calibration, especially if various height levels are involved, and the quality of materials is questionable. My setup cost around $90, with 3 small and 2 large plants, 3 misters per small, 5 for larger plants. One of the best features with my approach is the ability to remove/add plants by capping the compression Tees. Setting up the system took a few hours, including drip calibration testing. Side note, to get a true mist instead of a drip ensure water pressure is high enough, apparently higher than 185 GPH, keep in mind Mist Sprayer limits. Scheduling the timer to run on "Auto" a few minutes, seven days a week, at a low drip rate will likely be sufficient, the device listed below is able to switch 8 times per day. The obvious factors involved in an optimal overall approach seems to be drip rate, length of time water runs, water absorption rate of the soil, and capacity of plant saucer. This post may be updated to include water sensors in the plants and a single-board computer system.

Here is a breakdown of items with links:

$15/ Hydrofarm TM01715D 7-Day Digital Program Timer

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BPOBTY/ref=oh...

$15/ EcoPlus 185 Submersible Pump, 185 GPH

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018WVNXC/ref=oh...

$4.5/ Rain Drip 307025B Barbed Tee Bulk, 1/4-Inch Set of 25

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQW9KC/ref=oh...

$2.5/ Rain Bird TS2510PK - 1/4" Tubing Stakes - 10 Pack

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FJYTC6/ref=oh...

$5/ Rain Bird T22-50 - 1/4" Blank Drip Tubing 50' Roll

http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Bird-T22-50-Blank-Tubin...

$2/ Orbit 67191 5-Count Adjustable Flow Mist Sprayer